Marvel: Collapse
by Man in The White Hat
Summary: The Punisher goes on a rampage, killing all superheroes for seemingly no reason. But what is his motivation? How did he become so strong? And who is going to survive the great superhero purge? This is my first fanfic, so please write your opinion. If there is something that doesn't make sense feel free to point it out but there's a good chance it'll be explained.
1. Chapter 1

Marvel: Collapse

Chapter One: Rampage

It is a little past sunset and cold wind blew into the hospital room through the window. In the middle of the room lies Nick Fury, seriously injured from a terrorist attack earlier that day. Around him stand a few superheroes and SHIELD agents, who took part in the mission. Captain America is especially silent, since blames himself for Nick's injury. Peter Parker is sitting in the corner looking down at his shoes. The tension is almost visible in the air. The only sounds are the machines' beeping and the sound of drill in the distance.

"Those fucking construction workers," Hawkeye says. "They can't shut their tools up. Not even now."

"Calm down!" Maria Hill argues. "It's not their fault. Perhaps they're cleaning up after us."

Steve picks up a glass of water, takes a sip and doesn't say a word. A nurse steps into the room and tells the doctor that someone is calling him on the phone. The doctor leaves. The sound of the drill is getting louder every second.

"I have a very bad feeling." Black Widow says with a concerned expression. "It's like something is about to happen. Something bad. But I don't know what it is yet."

"It's probably just the atmosphere here." Agent Culson says. "You have no reason to be worried. I'm sure the director will make it. He's survived worse things."

"No." Peter says while standing up. "I feel it too. My spider-sense."

And that's when the ceiling collapses above Nick Fury. As a large yellow drill, operating it is the Punisher, crashes right into the unconscious director. Guts are sprayed all over the room, covering everyone. Just before the agents could react, Frank Castle pulls out a machine gun and starts showering bullets. He instantly kills Maria Hill, Agent Culson and Agent 13. Black Widow and Spider-man flip over a table and take cover. Hawkeye takes bullet in the shoulder. He then starts firing arrows but misses every time. Cap runs up to the Punisher and starts punching him, hard out of pure rage. Hawkeye take bullet to the head. Steve is now caught off guard, he drops his shield and remembers: He could've saved Fury, he could've saved all these people, only if he tried harder. Spider-man picks up the shield and tries to kick the Punisher. But Frank seems indestructible, he throws Peter against the wall and grabs Cap, stuffs a grenade into his mouth, throws him out the window, leaving him to explode in midair.

Outside Tony Stark steps out of a limousine, looking up at the massacre, he whispers to himself: "Thank God, I'm late."

Back inside there are only two people left, Black Widow and Spider-man, both taking cover.

"I've got a plan." Black Widow says to Peter. "I'm going to shoot the light bulb and fight him in the dark, you are going to run. Do you understand?"

Peter is just about to tell Natasha that this is a stupid plan and that she's gonna get killed like the rest of them, but then he realises that she knows and that she is willing to sacrifice herself. A teardrop finds its way down Peter's face. Black Widow aims at the light and...

Darkness

Ten minutes later Peter doesn't remember much of what happened after the lights went out. He remembers running and taking off his costume and putting the bloody vibranium shield into his backpack, but nothing else. He has to go home. He has to warn Aunt May. They then need to get out of the city as soon as possible.

After a few minutes he finds his way home and finds Aunt May sitting on the couch looking worried. She's just about to say something when time seems to slow as a bullet flies right through her skull. Peter hasn't even processed what happened at the hospital, and now this? He doesn't know what to do. But things are happening fast as Ironman crashes through the wall. He's in the middle of a fight with the Punisher. Frank menages to shoot the ARC reactor and then he tears off Tony's helmet. His face is covered in blood. Peter knows, he's about to say his last words.

"Run, kid! Get out of here! You are not safe. Not in this country."

And so he runs...


	2. Chapter 2

Marvel: Collapse

Chapter Two: When the Sun goes down..

It is early in the morning, the Sun has just came up. The Punisher stands in the middle of a battle-torn wheat field. He's holding the unconscious body of the Sentry. Frank looks heavily injured, but the Sentry even more so. A young farmer boy, who witnessed what has just happened, is standing there, shaking. The Punisher spits some blood on the ground and says to the boy:

"Tell them, kid! Tell them that when the Sun goes down, chaos ensues. And this chaos will devour all the so called "heroes" of Earth. When I finish a new world will be born. A world free of this plague. Tell them all!"

And with a quick and sudden move he snaps the Sentry's neck. The boy shivers as sees one of his heroes die.

Meanwhile Peter Parker is walking. He's been walking for two days. He hasn't eaten, he hasn't drunk and he hasn't even urinated. Only one stop to burn his costume. He remembers that clearly. The smell of the smoke. The brightness of the flame. Everything else is blurry. He knows he left New York. He can see Baltimore in the distance. Until this point he hasn't realized, that he had been going South. "Well, it's too late now." he thinks. "But I can't walk all the way to Mexico." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out some money. "I could get a taxi, but it wouldn't get me far enough." That night he sleeps on the street and in the morning he catches a taxi. The driver is a middle-aged arabic man, wearing a black leather jacket. A woman on the radio is reading the news:

"In the past few days Frank Castle, also known as the Punisher, has been on a rampage, killing nearly 50 superpowered individuals. Castle seems to possess superhuman abilities. The remaining superheroes most likely had gone into hiding. Reed Richards has publicly announced, that the Baxter Building is a safe place for any superhuman, who is on the run from Castle. The US. military is planning to get involved in the happenings, but the situation is chaotic and experts say that in the coming days Castle will make some sort of public message...Hold on...I've just received the news. Another incident is happening at the moment. The Baxter Building is on fire and the Fantastic Four have been brutally murdered. It is not a safe place anymore. I repeat, New York is unsafe for superheroes. More updates are coming soon..."

The driver changes channels and an old Queen song comes on. "So, what is your name kid?" he says with a smooth, but noticeable accent. "John..err..John Marshall" says Peter. "Very nice to meet you, John Marshall."

In Asgard Heimdall is staring at the horizon while sitting on the edge of the Rainbow Bridge. Thor Odinson approaches him. "You wanted to see me." he says, concerned. "Yes" Heimdall replies "I think Midgard, the realm you hold so dear needs you."


	3. Chapter 3

Marvel: Collapse

Chapter Three: Frankenstein's Monster

The sun has just rose and Frank Castle is standing on the roof of a building in Manhattan. Behind him lie Daredevil and Elektra, bloody and chained up. A police helicopter is circling the building and broadcasting everything on live TV. Elektra is unconscious and Matt has just woken up. The chains around his neck are tight but he can breathe. The Punisher is standing on the edge of the roof proudly, like a hunter after killing its prey.

"This..." Frank shouts to the camera "is a message for all the people calling themselves heroes. You have two choices. You either come to Times Square tomorrow at noon without any weapons surrender, or I will personally hunt you down and kill you. To demonstrate, here's Matthew Murdock, someone who used to be my friend." He turns to him with a smile. Not a smile of joy, but a twisted smile. "Come here! Stand on the ledge with me!"

Matt comes up to him, his face is bruised, his voice is weak and fading. "What happened to you?" He asks. "If you remember me, then why are you doing this?"

"I don't remember you." He answers. "I don't remember anything from before my rebirth. I've been told we were friends." This isn't entirely true. He remembers before being reborn, he was investigating something and clues led him to Canada. This was about a month ago. He investigated a facility in the middle of nowhere, which turned out to be a Hydra base. He killed dozens of them but eventually he was knocked out with a poisoned dart. He then woke up in a white room, tied to a chair. This is where his rebirth began. The first step was injecting some kind of a chip into the back of his neck. The process took a week and he remembers seeing flashes of scientists and all kinds of machinery. On one occasion he remembers seeing Rogue tied up and being experimented on. When they finished an old scientist came to him and explained, that they are now able to extract the superpowers of people using their blood and then they can inject these powers into other people. The man also told him that he had been selected to cleanse the world of superheroes. His first mission was to kill Gambit, but there wasn't supposed to be any witnesses because he wasn't ready to go public yet-he was told.

"Frank..." Matt says "you've done bad things in the past and in the end you've always come around. I don't know what they did to you, but you can stop. There need not be more bloodshed."

"Maybe." Frank says as he pushes Daredevil off the building. He falls three floors before the chain stretches and Frank turns to the camera once again as the life is choked from Matt Murdock by a cold iron chain. "Justice is no longer blind." he shouts. "And the world will soon be reborn, free of these mistakes. There's no point of resisting." He takes a pistol out and shoots Elektra in the head as he walks away.

Meanwhile Peter Parker is in New Mexico, near the border. He goes into a pub, as he wanted to spend his last dollars on a glass of whiskey. Tomorrow he will start a new life. When he enters House of the Rising Sun by Animals is playing, he sits down, orders the drink and soon after an old man in a cowboy hat with a cigar in his mouth sits down beside him. "You old enough to drink?" he asks. "I...I turned 18 a couple of months ago. Yes." "Oh, don't worry I'm not here to judge. Have you heard about the madness that's goin' on? They're killin' supers left and right." "Yeah, I've heard." "That's why you're leavin' the country?" Peter is surprised and a bit worried. "Who told you I was leaving the country?" The man takes a big sip of his beer. "I dunno. It's just a feelin', you know. So, you a super?" "Keep your voice down!" The man seems amused. "Not all of them are hidin' you know. Some are forgin' alliances and plannin' to fight back." "So what?" asks Peter.

"So, you in, bub?"


	4. Chapter 4

Marvel: Collapse

Chapter Four: Pieces on a Chessboard

It is the morning after the Punisher made his announcement. Bruce Banner is getting ready to give himself up. He drinks his morning coffee and repeats the plan in his head - Give myself up; They take me away; I hulk out. He looks at the newspaper, it's all about the Great Superhero Purge - as they call it. Give up; Take away; Hulk out. His sacrifice might stop all this. He walks out the door towards Times Square. Give up; Take away; Hulk out. He arrives. He's early. It's only 11:30. Give up; Take away; Hulk out. The people slowly start to arrive. The empty square soon turns into a sea of masks and brightly colored costumes. The dozens turn into hundreds and maybe even a thousand. Not a lot of big names. Only street level heroes. The ones Bruce recognizes are Sam Wilson, Winter Soldier, Black Cat, Green Goblin, Kamala Khan and Jennifer Walters. He realizes they all have a plan just like him. Give up; Take away; Hulk out. Exactly at noon an aircraft appears on the sky. After it lands hydra agents get out of it and start shepherding the crowd that had gathered.

"Why aren't the police getting involved?" Trish Walker asks Jessica Jones, looking down at the scene from her apartment. Jessica is sitting on the couch with her laptop in her lap. "I thought it was obvious. They've been bribed." "Well, then why aren't we doing anything?" Trish asks turning back from the window. "We are. But we're gonna do it smartly unlike some others. Daredevil and Elektra rushed into it and where are they now? They're hanging from a building." Trish seems to be a bit offended by this response. "Only one of them is hanging and I'm pretty sure they've taken him down already." "You're missing the point. Look, I've sent some e-mails already and it looks like Luke Cage and Jessica Drew will be joining us. Castle must have a motive and now we know he's with Hydra. We find out from where and why he's doing this and then we attack."

As Bruce gets on the aircraft a hydra agent takes a blood sample and puts handcuffs on him - a 'safety precaution'. As the aircraft takes off another message from Frank Castle is played on every TV channel. This time he tells superheroes who aren't on the transport-aircraft had missed their only chance of survival. Bruce then starts to feel tired and falls asleep. So do the others.

Meanwhile Peter Parker and Logan are sitting in Honda traveling through New Mexico and eventually to a secret hideout in Texas. The journey is silent. When they arrive Wolverine tells Peter to be respectful. "Are we gonna meet the X-men?" Peter asks. "No, kid. Most of them fled to a secret mansion in Siberia. Some of us stayed behind. Call us brave or foolish, your choice."

At the gates of the abandoned factory that serves as a hideout Iron Fist comes to greet the duo. "Nice job, Wolvie! Peter, welcome!" As they go inside the building seems to be much larger newer and cosier. In the main hall some people are standing at a table arguing. One of them turns around and says "Hi, Peter. I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. It looks like you've already met Wolverine and Iron Fist. At this table you can also see Captain Marvel, Wonder Man, Hank Pym and Spitfire. Not present but we've also got Wasp and Kitty Pryde. We are the resistance."

Later that day, somewhere in the middle of the United States, Pietro Maximoff is running with his sister in his hands, who was shot. A storm is brewing before them and he whispers to Wanda: "I'm gonna get you to father, like I promised. We're gonna heal you. You just need to hold on for a little longer. Everything is gonna be just fine." Wanda lets out a moan of pain and she look like she's on the edge of consciousness. Pietro looks behind them and the Punisher is catching up with speeds he shouldn't be able to reach. In just a few seconds they're head-to-head. The Punisher's fist ignites in flames and he punches Pietro in the head, knocking him over. They're in an open field. Fighting Frank here would be foolish, since the twins have no advantage and of course one of them is barely alive. "Please. I surrender, just let me get her to safety and then you can use me for whatever sick reason you want to." Pietro cries. "You've had your chance. Now you must die. You leave me no choice." Frank replies. And at this very moment the storm gets very intense and a bolt of lightning comes crackling down. Out of it steps Thor, God of Thunder. He waves his hammer around in the air, then throws it at the Punisher's face. The impact shatters Frank's face, but he is still standing and he slowly starts to regenerate. "Quickly," Thor shouts at the twins "we need to get out of here!" He then grabs Pietro, who is holding Wanda and then starts circling Mjölnir above his head. They fly away and Frank tries to follow them, but he can't maneuver very well since his ability to fly is new. And so they get away.

At the night of that day in New York City, a fat man in a white suit walks into an abandoned looking warehouse. There's a small gathering of people in the dark. In the middle stands Magneto and surrounding him are a dozen other supervillains including Vulture, Doctor Doom, Carnage, Venom, Mystique, Bullseye and Purple Man. Kingpin joins them as Magneto begins his speech. "My dear friends and enemies, I know we had quite the number of differences but now that that madman Frank Castle is running around murdering our kind, and the 'heroes' are not doing anything against him, we must unite and take matters into our own hands. Now I see that the pieces on the chessboard are taking position, we must be in a point of advantage. The next time Castle shows up, we strike and this once and for all." "But what's in it for us?" Bullseye asks. "You can either face him alone and die, try to run and die or join us. Your choice." "You know what I will fight him." Bullseye says and he walks out of the building. The others seem to agree with Magneto.


End file.
